NFL players rely heavily on their bodies as their most valuable asset while competing in the league’s highly competitive environment. To safeguard themselves against injuries, they require a safety net. The California Senate Bill 795 threatens this very aspect for all athletes in the state.

“The NFL Players Association strongly opposes California SB 795, which would significantly restrict professional athletes’ access to the workers’ compensation system,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “This bill targets our players, stripping them of the constitutional rights and legal protections afforded to every other worker in the state.

This Senate Bill looks to expand on the Assembly Bill 1309 (AB 1309), which was passed in 2013 to put guardrails on athletes seeking cumulative trauma (wear-and-tear injuries) claims for injuries while working in the state. The existing law demanded that such athletes prove that they were present for 20% of their duty days in the 365 days they worked last with their employer.

But California SB 795 has made a drastic change: Now, the 20% duty days for injured athletes will be counted in the 365 days preceding the last day of their entire career. This affects those players who had played for a long time in California, but moved to teams outside of the state before they got injured. Even if they have spent most of their careers in California, they would not be able to file claims under this amendment.

“We will not accept a system that carves professional athletes out of hard-earned worker protections,” the statement added. Our union urges lawmakers to reject SB 795 and stand with the players who make the game possible.”

Joining hands in this fight, the National Hockey League Players’ Association and the Major League Soccer Players Association also commented in support of the NFLPA’s statement.

“The MLSPA stands with the @NFLPA in strongly opposing California SB 795. Workers’ compensation is a critically important and hard-earned protection for all workers who take part in a high-risk jobs. We urge lawmakers to reject this bill,” MLSPA stated.

The NHLPA wrote, “The NHLPA stands in solidarity with the @NFLPA opposing California SB 795. All workers deserve workers’ compensation protection, and we join the NFLPA and other players’ associations in asking lawmakers to reject this bill.

How does this affect NFL players in California?

Those playing for the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Seattle Seahawks will be at a massive risk here. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, for example, who is prone to injuries, will not be able to file for compensation in California, even though he spent eight seasons with the Rams. All because he moved to the Seattle Seahawks last year.

Kupp could only play eight games in 2018 since he was out with an injury. He also missed time in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, due to an array of leg injuries. But if Kupp wanted to file a claim for the years where he contributed for a good part of the season, he would not be eligible under the California SB 795.

As the bill moves through the California legislature, the fight over SB 795 is far from over. With the NFLPA, NHLPA, and MLSPA all pushing back, players across multiple sports are making clear they will not go down without a fight.